Serving People Living With A Brain Injury & Their Families In Northern BC

Alternative Memory Improvement Strategies

Mimic Others

Being able to mimic other’s actions and talk activates several areas of the brain that are usually inactive. Mimicking others, if done in a fun, playful manner, can improve your brain power and memory, and the brain’s natural ability to adapt quickly when faced with new situations.

Start Crying

Don’t be afraid to cry when the time is right! Crying actually heals emotions, copes with negative feelings and memories, and promotes healthy circulation within the brain. Those who are able to cry are actually cleansing the inside of their brain, which is another healthy way to increase brain power.

Laugh

You have heard that laughter is the best medicine, and that holds true for the brain as well as the body. Unlike emotional responses, which are limited to specific areas of the brain, laughter engages multiple regions across the whole brain. Furthermore, listening to jokes and working out punch lines activates areas of the brain vital to learning, memory and creativity.

Listen To Music

Studies have proven that listening to music strengthens the right-hemisphere of the brain and literally changes the structure. Those same studies have found that people who listen to music are generally smarter, and have more emotional intelligence than those who do not.

Draw A Picture

Drawing stimulates the right-hemisphere of the brain and inspires creativity. Get out the colored pencils and begin drawing your way to a powerful brain.

Ask Questions

Asking questions is a phenomenal way to keep your brain in shape. Get in the habit of questioning others remembering their thoughts. Questions can provoke new thoughts and ideas, and asking them is a great way to build up brain power!

Rehearse

Rehearse important events. Before a new or anxiety-producing event, talk about the event, what will happen, and how you can feel in control until you can ‘pre-remember’ an event/appointment!

Write An Autobiography

Don’t worry about any events you cannot recall, just write about what you do remember. This often helps to revive lost memories.

Reward Accomplishment

We know about the power of positive reinforcement, and it can be a great way to help improve your memory. By rewarding yourself when you remember something, no matter how small or trivial, it subconsciously programs the brain to do continue with the behavior in order to get further rewards.

Teach

When you teach something to someone, you also teach yourself. It is the storage of information (memory), and the ability to recall that information, that are the primary benefits from this exercise.

Involve Senses And Emotions

Sometimes we may not recall the name of someone, or what they look like, but we still know that we ‘don’t like them’. The more we involve our senses and emotions, the more powerful a memory can become. The more powerful a memory is, the better our ability to recall it will be.